There's Actually Time to Do Everything If You Just Stop Scrolling.
It’s been over three months since I deleted YouTube from my phone.
Here are some quick observations.
There’s Actually Time to Do Everything
As it turns out, there’s actually time to do everything.
Before this little experiment, I was brainwashed by modern business influencers into believing that there was no way I would be able to fit all my interests and activities into one day — or at the very least, balance them throughout the week. Some of those interests include music production, writing articles, working on and guiding my business, reading, lifting weights, spending quality time with my loved ones, and last but definitely not least, learning new skills.
There’s actually time to do everything…
Before this experiment, my screen time averaged 10 to 11 hours a day. A lot of that was simply consuming YouTube. There was a little bit of Instagram and TikTok here and there, but those were never my main vice or distraction. I could easily clock in two to three hours a day of YouTube alone.
But it’s not just the hours spent on the app that take up the most time. It’s the combination of pondering over the information I had absorbed and being stuck in paralysis by analysis. The hours of YouTube consumption would force me to introspect and would even sometimes keep me up at night, unwillingly processing all of this contradictory information that was constantly flooding my mind, my thoughts, and my mental clarity.
Instagram and TikTok never truly intrigued me. I’ve always known it’s pure vanity with no depth. I unplugged from those platforms years ago, and life got better because I no longer compared myself to other influencers and how much money they make or how their physique looks.
But it was YouTube that kept me plugged in for so many years and was by far the hardest vice to let go…
The Feedback Loop Nobody Talks About
Since removing this noise from my life, little by little, I started to realize that I had a lot more time in my day. Before, it was a struggle to balance managing the business and finding time to creatively express myself through these Substack articles or working on some of my new music on Ableton Live. I found it almost impossible to sit down and read one of the many books that were collecting dust in my library.
It’s quite interesting, really. This practice ends up becoming a positive feedback loop of compounding returns; in my productivity and in my general output.
My consumption has become far more intentional. I haven’t completely removed YouTube from my life. I still have it on my desktop. But instead of killing my boredom by opening YouTube on my phone (since I no longer have the app…) I now open a book. And I’ve realized that I can easily squeeze anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes of reading every single day without even thinking about it or having to carve out a specific time to sit down and read.
The act of reading in and of itself also improves my focus. In turn, I find myself clearing my to-do list with more efficiency and speed, with less anxiety, and with less procrastination…because I’m actually just getting shit done.
I can easily squeeze 60 to 90 minutes of reading every single day without even thinking about it.
It’s only been three months without YouTube on my phone. I can only imagine what one year or even two years without this distraction will do for me.
Maybe I Don’t Want to Be a Fortune 500
I once fell for the “Hormozi” trap of having to eliminate every side project or hobby and go all in on ONE thing which was “make more money,” or more specifically, “scale the business.”
what was the result?
…life sucked.
My days felt ultra repetitive, bland and I began to lose my identity.
What I’ve realized now, since having some of my own original thoughts come back, is that… maybe I don’t want to scale my business to an enterprise level of 500+ employees or make the pursuit of money my only goal and focus. Maybe I’m much happier, more fulfilled, and at peace making $250K to $500K a year, managing ten to twenty employees, and keeping the business lean and efficient, all while living in a country in South America where that essentially makes me a millionaire. With all this extra time in the day, I am able to pursue all my other interests and hobbies.
I have preserved my soul.
These thoughts may not have come back to me had I not logged off…
These are just my two cents.
This might not be for everybody. But this might just be for you… if you give yourself enough time to stop consuming and let your own thoughts and soul come back to guide you. Instead of letting some fucking influencer fighting to stay relevant; dramatizing world events to rank high on the algorithm, keeping you glued to your screen so they can get paid and keep their sponsors happy and convincing you that you need to stay up to date with everything happening in the world or you are going to get left behind...
But the reality is… things are actually okay and are more than likely going to continue to be okay.
Log Off
Just log off and get some sun, bro. The world ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Oh and… pick up that hobby you keep thinking about doing but never start because some hustle culture micro-influencer said you need to lock in for 16 hours a day on a singular mission or you are destined for failure.
You most likely have time to do it… if you just allow yourself to unplug for a little bit.